Cincinnati attorney to file lawsuit forcing Ohio to allow gay marriageCivil rights attorneys plan to file a lawsuit seeking to force Ohio to allow same-sex couples to get married in the state. Cincinnati attorney Al Gerhardstein plans to discuss details about the case at a news conference today. He says the lawsuit will seek the right to marry for gay couples in the state. He’s the attorney who filed a lawsuit in February that led a judge to order Ohio to recognize out-of-state same sex marriages. That April 14 order, which is on hold pending appeal, stopped short of forcing Ohio to allow gay couples to wed in the state. Attorney General Mike DeWine has said he will continue to defend the gay marriage ban passed overwhelmingly by Ohio voters in 2004.

Parole board recommends mercy for inmate set to die in MayThe Ohio Parole Board has taken the unusual step of recommending that Gov. John Kasich release convicted killer Arthur Tyler not only from death row – but from prison. The panel voted 11-to-0 to recommend commutation of Tyler’s death sentence for the 1983 murder of Cleveland produce vendor Sander Leach. By a much narrower margin, 6-to-5, it voted to commute the sentence to 33 years to life. If Kasich goes along, Tyler could be released from prison within two years. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty had been among those arguing that Tyler should not be executed as planned next month. He underscored that Tyler’s co-defendant got a much lighter sentence and has been freed and that the case would not be a death-penalty case today. But McGinty fought Tyler’s claims of innocence and wants him to serve the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole.

Inspector General: Taft's criminal records NOT expungedThe Ohio watchdog's office will consider reissuing its report on a 2005 rare-coin investment scandal after inaccurate information suggested then-Gov. Bob Taft's criminal record was expunged. The top lawyer for Inspector General Randall Meyer said Tuesday that Taft's no-contest plea on ethics violations was omitted from mention in Friday's long-awaited Coingate report because the office believed the Republican Taft's record was among those shielded from public view. Taft's lawyer says no request was ever made or granted to seal the records and says the report may require a rewrite.

Cleveland-area Catholic high schools to test all students for drugsThree northeast Ohio Catholic high schools will begin testing students for drugs. In a joint announcement, Gilmour Academy, St. Edward and St. Ignatius high schools said next fall all students will be required to submit hair samples for drug testing. The testing can detect drug use from up to three months prior to the time the sample is taken. Following the initial test, random testing will be done throughout the year. The schools describe the mandatory testing as a ‘wellness initiative’ that will serve as a deterrent to teen drug use.

Summit County mayors join push for interstate designation for Route 8Six Summit County mayors are continuing to push a plan to get State Route 8 designated as a federal interstate. Last month The Ohio Department of Transportation turned down the proposal from the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study to turn an 18-mile stretch of Route 8 into Interstate 380, saying it’s too expensive. The Beacon Journal reports that the mayors of Akron and surrounding suburbs have written a letter to ODOT saying they would be willing to share the cost of maintaining the road and seek funding for new signage. They argue making that stretch of highway an interstate would draw more people to attractions such as the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Fired Mount Vernon teacher petitions U.S. Supreme CourtA public school science instructor who was fired for refusing to remove religious materials from his classroom has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a state court's decision to uphold his dismissal. John Freshwater's attorney says the high court has been asked to consider First Amendment issues in the case. A divided Ohio Supreme Court ruled in November the Mount Vernon school district had grounds to fire Freshwater in 2011 for insubordination for keeping religious books and a poster of a praying president. But it concluded the district infringed on Freshwater's First Amendment rights by ordering the removal of his personal Bible from his desk. In January, the court denied Freshwater's request that it reconsider its decision.

Republican National Convention team visits Cincinnati; Cleveland todayA team checking potential sites for the 2016 Republican National Convention has visited Cincinnati, one of two Ohio cities still in the running as a possible host. The team toured US Bank Arena and Great American Ball Park among other sites Tuesday. The team was shown how conventioneers could walk out of their downtown hotels to a convention site and be within walking range of more than 100 bars and restaurants. A team is scheduled to visit Ohio's other contender, Cleveland, today. The other finalists are Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas and Kansas City, Mo.

Ex-Ohio deputy treasurer arrested in PakistanA former Ohio deputy treasurer has been arrested in Pakistan, after breaking his bond in a corruption case. A federal judge issued an arrest warrant for Amer Ahmad after his wife told a court that he demanded she get him a fake Pakistani birth certificate so he could get a passport. Ahmad was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in December to federal charges in a kickback scheme. Court documents say Ahmad and others conspired to use his position to channel state business to a securities broker in return for kickbacks from 2009 to 2011. Prosecutors say the money was disguised through a landscaping business. Ahmad served under Democrat Kevin Boyce, who says he had no idea what Ahmad was up to while in office.

Cleveland to host 2016 Transplant GamesThe city of Cleveland will host 3,000 athletes in the 2016 Transplant Games. The athletes are all transplant recipients who will compete in 20 events. The games started in 1990 and are held every two years. Last year Cleveland hosted the Senior Games and this summer will host the Gay Games that will draw 30,000 people.Diebold posts first quarter profitGreen-based Diebold Inc. is doing much better than it was a year ago. Its first quarter report shows a net income of nearly $10 million, following a loss of more than $13 million in the same quarter last year. Diebold had sales of $688 million in the first quarter, up 8.6 percent from a year ago.

Listener Comments:

Honestly, what on Earth is it about law-abiding, taxpaying Gay couples getting married that terrifies so many people? These are couples who are in love, who have made a commitment to one another's happiness and well-being. These are couples who in most cases already share a life together. Unless the Constitution (especially the 14th Amendment) applies only to people who are Straight, I can see no justification for denying law-abiding, taxpaying Gay couples the same legal benefits and opportunities that Straight couples have always taken for granted.

What are people so fearful of? The marriage equality movement was never some sinister effort to make homosexuality compulsory for everyone. It won't cause otherwise Straight people to marry other persons of the same sex. It will not require anyone to attend weddings for Gay couples. Conversely, denying Gay people the right to marry is not going to make Gay people turn Straight!

What are people so fearful of? Is not love and commitment far more preferable to loneliness and promiscuity? Why does the joy of Gay couples getting married make so many people angry?